05/29/2010

Toronto Star Photo Editor Ken Faught retires.

At the end of the past week the Ken Faught era of the Toronto Star had ended.

Ken joined the photo staff in 1986 after being discovered in the North West Territories.

In 2004 he hung up his cameras in a blaze of glory by winning the National Newspaper Award in Sports photography to become photo editor. He also had a second picture up for the same award.

Here are some of Ken's pictures that jump to mind.

Ken Faught won the 2004 National Newspaper Award for sports photography with this picture of Austrian rider Raemmi Daemmi who landed between the logs and lay stunned for a few moments during the cross country equestrian event at the Athens Olympics. Horse and rider were all right.

Faught was nominated in the same category with this picture of Marie-Helene Chisholm who would win this bout against France's Lucie Decosse as she tried to make it back through the repercharge.

Chan Hon Go, principal dancer for the National Ballet of Canada shown on Dec. 11, 2000 in Toronto, started with her husband their own ballet shoe business three years ago. They are distributed across Canada.

Ken risked the camera for this hot frame, Scott and Rea Kerr pass the time playing cribbage waiting for the gas contractor to show up with the right parts for their furnace. They resorted to turning on the oven to heat the house. They had to wait 13 days for the problem to be fixed.

Mike, 38, waits for Street Patrol to make their way to his shack, "I don't like rules, regulations and the political side of being in a hostel. I like to be able to say, hey, this is MY place."

Michael McGourty for story on "why be a priest these days". Taken at the College residence in Rome.

Raymond Hnatyshyn and his wife Gerta react to a joke from Brian Mulroney as his appointment as Governor General on Parliment Hill in Ottawa.

A man ice fishes in Newfoundland.

A family of ducks get a little help exiting the pool at Roy Thompson Hall.

St. Michael's Choir School students attend the visitation pay their respects to Cardinal Carter. Taken at St. Michael's Cathedral.

Youth Unlimited prepared a Christmas dinner for homeless/street kids. They set up a giant tent in Grange Park off Beverley south of Dundas complete with tables and chairs and novelty items for the homeless. Food was prepared by Islington United Church and trucked over to the park.

It wasn't always about covering the news, Ken showed his artictic side in the studio.

Joy Bernard, left, is originally from Nigeria and is facing deportation along with her daughter, Jennifer, 7, at right. If forced to go back, Jennifer will be forced to undergo a female genital mutilation. Practice is common in Nigeria and Joy had the procedure done as a baby.

Canadians on the ropes, Trevor Stewardson is held over the ropes and went on to lose to Ahmed Ismail from Egypt at the 2004 Athens Olympic games.

Perdita Felicien streaks ahead of the pack on her way to qualifiying in round 1, heat 3 of the 100m hurdles at the Athens Olympic Games.

Adam van Koeverden shows off his gold and bronze haul during the 2004 Athens Olympics.

A Slovakian is in deep in the Olympic white water canoe event.

Kids play street hockey on a Toronto Beaches street.

Ken loved to use more than one image to tell the story, Giving testimony during the MFP inquiry, Tom Jacobek answers questions while city lawyer Linda Rothstein gives a disbelieving stare away from the stand.

Fairy Dust. All the Mirvish Theatres were for family Hallowe'en tours, ghoststories and makeup sessions. Makeup artists were on hand at Royal Alexander Theatre making up little princess' like Virginia Matheson.

Jose Morin, foreground, makes several statements on Canada Day with his hair. Friend Jen Anderson in background.

David Kotin, Manager, Special Collections of Toronto Public Library shows off a recently acquired travel diary of Arthur Conan Doyle. The diary chronicles his impressions from the 1914 trip, his second, across Canada. Doyle travelled by rail from Montreal to the Rockies giving talks at several cities. The diary is part of a lot that was acquired from Christies in London, England.

A flock of geese narrowly avoid a dragon boat during the annual festival.

Scores of ice fishers stayed on frozen Lake Simcoe on Sunday despite the danger that cracks in the ice could leave them stranded. One group even tried to drive a minivan (shown) onto the fragile ice. The front of the van crashed through, forcing the six passengers to scramble out the back door. One man was taken to hospital.

Always sad to see a veteran depart from the scene (It's like you could go on forever if one choses too). I know having seen in the last few years, losing some great older heads in our depatmanet at The Sydney Morning Herald, (unfortunately through redundencies and restructure) the place just isn't the same. It is almost family at times, if not family and they are never replaceable.